


Secrets We Keep Closeted

by miumi15



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Original Character-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:47:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24449815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miumi15/pseuds/miumi15
Summary: BREAKING NEWS: Prestigious family of six left a sad four early Tuesday morning. Follow Amir, Mathilda, Philomena, and Lilou Charas in solving their parents' murder with the help of the batman. But really its more like batman tries solving the murder and four snarky teenagers follow along to bring him hell. They refused Bruce Wayne's offer of adoption so why are they following batman?Who did this? Why did they do it? And what is hiding? Maybe the kids know.





	Secrets We Keep Closeted

BREAKING NEWS

Prestigious family of six left a sad four early Tuesday morning.

The young children of Adan and Sol Charas awoke this cold tuesday morning to the grusome sight of their mother and father's murder. Mister and Misses Charas, known as the co-presidents of Victory University, one of Gotham's most prestigious private universities. Mister and Misses Charas also own Virideon Labs, who work in partnership with Wayne corp. Together the Charas and Wayne family have provided paid schooling for underprivileged youths. 

Sheriff's deputies state the cause of death were multiple shots to the victims' persons. Mister charas received 10 while his wife received an alarming 20. No suspect has been found, but many questions have surfaced from this nightmarish event. Who could have committed such an atrocity effect on 4 beautiful children? How did these children continue to sleep soundly without awaking once? 

In other news, the eldest son Amir Charas (16), has submitted a plea for emancipation. When questioned about his decision he commented, "people will be looking to take advantage of the Charas fortune. I understand Mr. Wayne means well in his offer for guardianship, however my siblings and I have come to an agreement that I am the best candidate for their well being." Mr. Charas ended with asking for no further questions and respect for his and sibling's privacy. A hearing on Mr. Charas' ab-

The tv shut off and the siblings sat in silence. The two youngest held one another, the brother sniffing every so often. The 2nd eldest held the remote and looked to the eldest for guidance. Her cheeks were puffy and red, her brunette curls matching the eldest in a messy failure of composure. "Will we be alright?" She asked while sitting between the youngest and eldest. 

Amir sighed deeply, "what kind of question is that Mathilda? Of course it will be alright." 

"You don't need to be angry Amir, she's just asking you a question we have all been thinking." Philomena snapped.

He rubbed his face then got up to put himself together, putting his messy locks in a loose bun. "I apologise. I've had the same question repeated to me. But yes Matty, we will be alright." He placed a hand on her shoulder, "we have to be. I have to be, or these monsters will eat us for breakfast and destroy our parents' legacies." Lilou sobbed in response, Philomena hugged him tighter. Amir lowered to his brother's height and put his hand on his knee. "We're going to be okay, and no one will take advantage of our lives or gifts." He looked into Phil's eyes for the last part. The doorbell rang and everyone waited in silence for it to go away. But it didn't.

Mathilda excused herself to answer it, "can't get a fucking moment of rest." Amir muttered.

Mathilda returned with Mr. Wayne and Commissioner Gordon. "Apologies for the interruption, I'm sure the four of you wish to be left to mourning."

"You're so sure of yourself and yet you knocked on our door?" Philomena sneered. Lilou elbowed her in the ribs. 

The detective did not respond but looked at Amir knelt near his brother. "A moment please?" 

"The court already gave us permission to stay here without adult supervision. The paperwork should already be on your desk." Amir stood defiantly. 

"That's not why I'm here son, I need to ask each of you more questions about that night." 

"Then why is he here?" Mathilda pointed at Bruce Wayne. 

"I'm here to discuss the requirements of emancipation for your brother. I will help the four of you if this is what you want." The four looked at each other in disbelief. 

"Mr. Charas," Gordon called Amir. 

"Yeah I'm coming, but call me Amir. My brother and I are both Mr. Charas." He turned to Mathilda and whispered something in her ear. She nodded in response then went to the Study with the Commissioner. 

"Do you want coffee, tea, or brandy Mr. Wayne?" Mathilda asked after the two had left. 

"Coffee please." He asked while standing awkwardly in the room.

Mathilda nodded and looked at her sister and brother. "Go ahead and rest in the garden, I'll have the Commissioner speak to you out there." Philomena nodded and helped her brother up. "Take a seat if you wish Mr. Wayne," Mathilda stood tall and confident while brewing her guest's coffee at the room's coffee station. 

"If your brother wants to qualify for your custody, then the alcohol will need to be removed," Bruce commented.

Mathilda mumbled something incoherent before bringing Mr. Wayne his coffee. "Take it then, just leave the unopened bottle of Chardonnay. It was my father's gift to my mother on the day they met." 

Bruce nodded, "I'll send someone to pick them up. What happened to the staff?" 

Mathilda made herself comfortable in the loveseat in front of Bruce's, "Amir and I decided on letting them go. We wanted to teach ourselves responsibility and discipline. Amir is working on his license and I'm working on skipping two grades." 

Bruce smiled kindly and took a sip of his coffee, "how old are you Mathilda?"

"Fourteen sir," she took a sip of her tea. 

"And the twins?" 

"Twelve, but occasionally they work together to try to be the eldests," she chuckled at her own joke.

"It would seem the four of you are all working to be as mature as you can," Bruce raised his hand to pause Mathilda before she snapped back. "I am not trying to patronize, only compliment. You are all doing a great job of taking care of one another." She looked away so he would not see a stray tear escape. "How did you receive that?"

Mathilda looked back at the man in confusion and realized he was talking about the bruise marking the right corner of her chin. She shielded it from his view, "oh this. I got it when I was arguing with my mom. Not that she hit me!" She waved her hands frantically. "The night she… that night…. We'd been arguing about my actions that day. I was spying on Amir, and invading his privacy. I was worried about him since he got a rejection letter from Stanford." She looked into her cup in thoughtful memory. "It was no reason for me to hide in his room, my mom was trying to get me to understand that but I was being a stupid teenager." She quickly lost her composure and was a sobbing mess. Bruce took the tea from her allowing her to hug herself. "D-d-don't tell Amir." She hiccuped.

"I-its okay. I won't." He whispered meanwhile not knowing what to do. 

"I told her she didn't love any of us and didn't pay attention to Amir enough. I told her I hated her and slammed the door on her. She asked me to open the door and I threw a baseball at the wall. It bounced back and hit me in the face." She laughed, "I deserved it. Sh-sh-she didn't deserve this. She should be here, I-I don't-" Bruce stopped her from going any further by holding her hand. 

"No you don't, no one deserves this. You deserve a morning to talk to your mom again. I was there once, where you are now. Whoever did this was a monster, and deserves justice. You deserve your parents." She sobbed more. 

A voice cleared behind them, Amir and Gordon were back. "Mathilda?" Amir asked with a concerned look.

"S-sorry. I'll be right there." She said standing and wiping her face hurriedly.

"I can move onto the twins and come back when you're ready," Gordon said softly. 

Mathilda shook her head, "no its best to get things done and said." She left with the commissioner into the study. 

"What did you say?" Amir snapped.

Bruce went back to his seat and drank his coffee, "it's what she said. She needs to see a therapist, all of you need to."

Amir pinched the bridge of his nose and sat in Mathilda's seat. "Look, I know you feel like you connect with us due to our….. similar backgrounds. But I don't need your help. We're perfectly capable of taking care of one another." 

"So I've come to understand. But do you understand the significance you will be playing?" Bruce kept his tone even, he'd only spoken to the eldest a handful of times but one thing was always certain. The kid was more than what he looked like. He stood at 5'9 but what he lacked in height he had in confidence and wit. Like his mother, he was also very hot headed and prone to being very easily irritated. Bruce would never forget the morning of the parents' passing. He was shell shocked and wouldn't respond to anyone till an argument broke out between the wealthy elite of who would house the children. 

Amir didn't shout but his voice boomed in every corner of the room. He made it perfectly clear no one would have him or his siblings. An army of the "elite" had gathered in front of the estate's gates, only Bruce was allowed to stay since he had visited the parents the previous night. Amir looked to the crowd and told them to get the fuck of his property, he included the social worker there to collect him and his siblings. Bruce had stayed in his place never suggesting guardianship until the parents' will was read later that afternoon. In it they asked Bruce to adopt the children as his own and take Amir on as his apprentice in business. Amir was not happy about any of that and insured Bruce knew it through a series of curse words. Philomena calmed him and pulled him out of the room, fifteen minutes later he came back into the room and apologised for his behavior but refused any guardianship again then called in a lawyer.

"You'll be a single parent to your siblings, Amir, are you prepared for that responsibility?" He didn't respond right away, for once he was considering somebody's words. "You still have your whole life ahead of you, you'll be graduating soon won't you? What were your plans before this?"

"Stop," Amir growled, "just stop. I get what you're trying to do but it's not going to work. I've already committed to my decision. My siblings need familiarity and the knowledge that no one will take advantage of them for their fortunes. You may mean well, Mr. Wayne, but I still can't trust you or anyone else. Especially since we have no knowledge of who the killer is." He leant back and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Bruce finished his coffee then nodded, "understandable. Then could we meet halfway?"

"Halfway? I said no-" 

"Yes but you will still need a sponsor for the court to approve anything and since your parents entrusted me with your care in the end they'll look to me for approval." 

"Are you threatening me Mr. Wayne?" Amir's eyes grew dark and something inside Bruce was genuinely terrified for the boy. 

Bruce sighed and stood, "no son, no one's threatening you. Simply put, I'm suggesting I sponsor all four of you. I put in a good word to the judge, and on occasion I drop by to check on you four and check on your needs. If you or your siblings need help in some way they won't be taken from you but I will be there to lend a hand." Amir stayed seated and continued to glare up at Bruce, "I give you my word I am not trying to take anything from you."

Amir's glare didn't falter, "what's the catch? What do you want in return?" 

"In return you do whatever it is you want to accomplish in life, go to school. Take your parent's place, travel the world, I don't care. Just do me the favor of trapping yourself in Gotham." Bruce held out his hand, "is that a deal?" Amir's glare became placid and he simply sat there and stared at the man's hand.

"I want there to be a catch." Amir stated blandly.

"O-okay? Name it."

Amir looked away, unable to meet the man's eyes, "I want my family to have complete ownership of the lab. You can leave all the professionals who know what they're doing there but I want to have the lab. In return you keep the school."

"The lab?"

"Yes."

"I hope you know, I need to know why." Bruce crossed his arms. 

Amir did not respond right away, "my parent's loved it." He was barely audible, "Lilou and Phil, it's always been their dream to work there. I understand it's not a playground but we need something aside from this house to be ours." His voice cracked at speaking "ours." He didn't mean him and his siblings, he meant his siblings and his parents.

"And you and Mathilda?" Bruce raised his eyebrow.

Amir finally met Bruce's eyes, his were bloodshot and Bruce could see the dark circles forming. "Originally we planned on being business partners. The other day I overheard her speaking to my father about owning a simple farm. She fell in love wit them on a recent school trip." He choked out a laugh. "She's always been humble. Likes starting things with a blank slate. I trust her as should you, to allow her to figure it out herself." 

"And you?" 

Amir kept his eyes locked with Bruce, "I will take over for my parents. Till I'm completely educated, I give you permission to make the financial decisions regarding the lab. But when I do get there I want to do more than the lab. I want many companies revolving around biological sciences."

"Any reason why?"

"It's personal."

Bruce nodded and stuck out his hand, "I'll help you get there, is it a deal?"

Amir grabbed his hand and shook. "Deal. Do me a favor and don't bankrupt my parent's lab or school."   
***************************************

Commissioner Gordon walked alongside Bruce, escorting him to his car. "Did speaking to them give you any idea of who could of done it?" Bruce asked.

Gordon stomped out his cigarette, "I have a couple tips leading me to think Mafia. The eldest mentioned a man with a gun visiting his father one evening a couple weeks ago. Said the youngest girl bumped into him and the gun peeked through the jacket. The story checks out with the youngest as well, though it's hard speaking to her and feeling any second she'll lash out and bite off your nose. You get anything from speaking to the two oldest?"

Bruce paused in front of the opened car door, "I don't think we have to worry too much about them. They have each other, and it's the one good thing to see come from this." 

Gordon patted him on the shoulder, "it's a good thing you're here Bruce. No one knows what they're going through more than you." Bruce couldn't respond and said his goodbyes.

"Will we be making accommodations sir?" Alfred asked.

"No Alfred, I don't think we will." Bruce mused.

"Are they anything like how you were?" Alfred askes while pulling away from the gate.

"Hard to say. There's definitely anger there, especially in the eldest boy, but right now fear is mostly what I see. I didn't get a chance to speak to the twins. But there will always be time for that later." He typed away at a message to robin and away his investigation went.

"No batlings?" Alfred asked in a deadpan tone.

Bruce snorted, "no batlings Alfred, you may sleep well tonight."

"Very good sir."

***************************************

A dark shadow casted over the Charas manor later that night. It watched as the second eldest wrapped herself and the twins in a thick blanket in front of a fireplace, unable to sleep upstairs. Upstairs in their bedroom is where the parents' lives were taken. Upstairs was where they failed to hear gunshots echoing through the night.

Upstairs was where the eldest sat against a wall, cigarette in hand. Nearby was a bucket and a used sponge. The crime scene investigators and cleaners had already been by, but he needed to do it too. He came up empty on the investigation and continued to wipe down the scene more. On occasion the tiniest fragment of the body had been found but Amir was quick to clean. Now he sat tired and wanting to sleep, but then the window opened. He lifted his hand and pointed a gun at the caped crusader. 

"Where were you?" He growled. "Where the fuck were you!" Tears were falling and he simply wanted the nerve to pull.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Batman stepped cautiously closer and Amir pulled back the hammer. Batman stopped inching closer, "I'm here now, and I'm going to help." 

"How are you going to do that? The police don't know shit, I just went over the entire crime scene," he crouched down and grabbed the sponge inside. The water was slightly pink, "you think you can fix this?" He threw the sponge and Batman stood stark still as the sponge slapped across his chest armor and fell limply to the floor. 

The door to the hallway squeaked and then quickly squeaked again. "Fuck." Amir said disgruntled and lowered his gun. "Stay here," he growled at batman. "You can come in, everything is okay." 

The door squeaked open again. Lilou whimpered and scurried over to his brother's side. He held his shirt tightly. "Did batman do it?" He whispered.

"No Lilou he didn't, but he didn't help either." Amir held Lilou closer as the younger one cried more.

"Are you going to shoot him?" Lilou asked, eyeing the gun.

Amir patted his head, "dad gave me this to kill any intruder."

"Come on son lets-" Amir pointed the gun again.

"I. Am not. Your son." Amir spoke around the cigarette.

Lilou let out a small scream and buried his face into Amir's side, "don't shoot him, please don't shoot, Amir." Amir kept the gun raised, then door squeaked again. Phil and Mathilda stood frozen in the doorway. 

"Amir what the fuck?" Phil yelled.

Amir growled, "take Lilou and go to the safe room, I'll come to you from there." Mathilda nodded and grabbed Lilou and Phil as the both protested but didn't fight. 

When they were safely away he walked closer to the bedside table, gun still drawn. He opened it and threw a picture at the batman. Batman caught it easily and inspected the picture once Amir turned on the bedside lamp. It was a picture of a bride and groom with two toddlers in hand and an older couple on the side. "Carmine and Loisa Falcone, figure out the connection and get out."

"Why didn't the police find this?" Batman asked. Amir opened the drawer and pushed a hidden button, the bottom of the drawer lifted. "I see, I would like to help you more, but I need you to put down the gun."

Amir looked at the gun and looked at batman, he lowered the gun. Batman charged forward and snatched the gun away from the boy. He shoved the boy effortlessly when he tried charging back. The gun was fully loaded, Batman unloaded the bullets and put them in his utility belt as well as the gun. "I'm confiscating this, but I wont tell the police." Amir stayed sitting on the bed where he fell, glaring at the big shadow. Batman sat next to him, Amir scooted away. The cigarette Amir was smoking landed away in the corner, its light gone out. Amir pulled out another and lit it. "You shouldn't be smoking." 

"Try to take it from me and I'll bite you." Amir warned and blew smoke in Batman's face. Batman waved the smoke away with a low growl. 

"You say you want to be their guardian," shot back. Amir grumbled and threw that cigarette as well. "Good way to start a fire, not just that but the others could've gotten hurt as well-"

"Are you really fucking lecturing me on gun safety as I'm sitting where my parents were murdered?" Amir mockingly laughed. 

"You're right, that was tasteless. I apologise. You obviously knew what you were doing and knew that if a bullet ricochet it would hit one of your younger siblings." Amir did not respond, he only tensed. Batman looked down at him, and crossed his arms. "Why the big show?" 

The boy pulled his legs in close, "I knew you were coming," he mumbled. For the first time that night, Batman heard a lack of confidence in the boy. Something akin to fear. Batman looked down at the mattress they were sitting on, it was new and in the corner was folded blankets. Even the bed frame shone with a new varnish. He planned on more than waiting. "At first I was excited. THE Batman was coming to save the day right? But you didn't, if you did you wouldn't have to come. And then I was angry, and I didnt want you to come. I didn't want anyone else in here, this is ours. We live here and more people keep butting in thinking they know how to fix us. We didn't need fixing." Amir looked back up, and the batman was gone. "Yeah fuck you too." He pulled out another cigarette and lit it.


End file.
